City of Bloomington

A kickoff event takes place Thursday at the Minority Business Development Center in Eastland Mall.

Mayor Mboka Mwilambwe is pleased with the diversity of stakeholders represented on the city's gun violence commission. In a WGLT interview, he said he wants a lot of views represented.

The Bloomington Fire Department still expects its first responders to be paramedics. But under the new policy, if a new firefighter doesn’t have the paramedic certification, BFD staff will train them.

The Major League Baseball playoffs are once again making October a special time. But baseball was not always here to root for and entertain us.

For more than a year, the City of Bloomington has been looking into a new streetscape plan. It's a potential $30 million "generational" project that would replace aging under-and-above-ground infrastructure. Staff have said the effort is about far more than beautification.

The city hired a Springfield consulting firm last year to collect data and come up with ways to improve walkability, sidewalks, lighting and other downtown features.

The Illinois Housing Development Authority awarded $103,000 to Bloomington for community revitalization work. The grant is part of the Strong Communities Program that awarded funding to 68 local government units in its second round of funding.

Bloomington and Normal collected more than $9.1 million in food and beverage taxes last budget year. That's up 29% from 2019.

A centerpiece of Bloomington's Miller Park Zoo needs a facelift. The zoo plans to restore its 22-year-old carousel.

The city of Bloomington is reorganizing its public works area and naming a new Public Works Director. City Manager Tim Gleason said Mose Rickey will oversee restructuring into three distinct departments: public works, water, and operations and engineering services. Rickey had been the Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation.